Bactericides Market Trends

Growth Drivers

• Increasing occurrence of bacterial diseases in plants: Farmers are adopting modern practices such as precision farming, hydroponics, agroforestry, etc. However, bacterial diseases are creating a menace during crop production and emerging as a threat to farmers. Majorly, bacterial diseases are of 4 types based on the damage they cause to the tissue of the plant, which may include soft rot, tumors, vascular wilt, and necrosis. Climate change is altering the behavior of the bacteria, bolstering the generation of extracellular polysaccharides by bacteria in warmer temperatures. Various bacteria, such as Burkholderia glumea, are heat-adapted and emerging as a hazard as the temperature rises. According to NASA, the overall temperature of Earth was about 2.6 degrees Fahrenheit warmer in 2024, in comparison with the last century. These factors are propelling the market growth during the forecasted period.
   
• Thriving chemical industry: The agriculture sector directly depends on the chemical industry to protect crops from harmful organisms. With the rise in the chemical sector, pesticides, bactericides, etc., are easily available to farmers. According to the American Chemical Society, the 50 largest companies across the world have combined sales of chemicals that reached USD 1.2 trillion in 2022. The agrochemical sector is a subset of the chemical industry and is poised to fuel the growth of the market as a surge in advancements in bio-based solutions.
   
• Rising government subsidies: Governments across the world are giving explicit subsidies in the form of fertilizer, irrigation, credit, and crop insurance. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, the government spending on the agriculture sector reached an all-time high that is USD 701 billion. Also, according to the USDA Foreign Agriculture Service, fertilizer prices account for nearly one-fifth of the United States farm cash costs. Globally, farmers are applying nutrients on their fields in the form of bactericides and other forms of fertilizers.  

Challenges

• Environmental concerns: The main concern with using bactericide is the possibility of poisoning humans or animals and contamination of livestock products. Sometimes, these bactericides remain in the food chain as they remain in the plants eaten by the herbivores. Further, herbivores are eaten by carnivores, and the entire food chain gets affected.
   
• Resistance development over time: Bacterial pathogens and insects can develop resistance to bactericides over time. Regular and indiscriminate use of bactericides can lead to the development of resistant strains, rendering certain bactericides less effective. This necessitates the development of new and innovative bactericides through the integration of alternative control strategies to manage resistant bacteria effectively.